Daughter of Inglewood Mayor James Butts accused of hiring friend to attack landlord with metal bat

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- Inglewood Mayor James Butts' daughter was arrested and charged for allegedly paying a friend to attack her landlord with a metal bat over an ongoing dispute.

Ashley Melissa Butts and her friend, Israel Rios, were taken into custody on Wednesday in connection with the April 30 attack.

"The fact that she is the mayor's daughter and she thinks she can get away with it - that's the main thing that hurts," said the victim, who did not want to be identified.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Butts, 30, had disputes with her landlord shortly after moving into his home in the 3300 block of West 78th Street.

Butts arranged for an Uber driver to take Rios, 37, and a second person to the victim's home to assault him, according to the felony complaint. The DA's office did not release the identity of the second person allegedly involved in the incident.

The complaint states that Rios knocked on the victim's door, then assaulted him with a metal bat. During the assault, Rios or the unnamed second person fired a gun at the victim but missed. Prior to the attack, Rios and Butts exchanged text messages.

"I see a guy in all black with a white skull mask pointing a gun at me," the victim described. "When I saw him automatically I said, 'Oh my goodness, what's going on?' He said, 'Yeah, you know what time it is.'"

He said he was struck in the head three times.

The victim said he was suspicious of Butts from the beginning. He said Butts did not call 911 right away even with all the commotion going on.

"Right after he left, I accused her. I said, 'Ashley, really for real? For real, Ashley?' She never responded. She never said anything," the victim said.

The DA charged Butts and Rios with one felony count each of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, conspiracy to commit assault and first-degree burglary with a person present.

"To this day, I'm still scared. I'm still kind of fearing for my life. That's why I'm not at my house right now," he said.

Eyewitness News contacted the mayor for comment but have not heard back.

If convicted, Butts faces up to seven years in state prison, and Rios faces up to 22 years in state prison.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Rios pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Thursday. Butts made bail but is due back in court July 8.